A rebel without a Rebel

Get a motorcycle, my son
It's in my blood, the damn bikes. The unmotorized versions have been with me for years now, and rarely do I feel as good and connected as when I'm riding my bicycle.

Well, that's great for around town. But for getting out of town? This traveler is going stir-crazy. Public transport is getting old, and so is renting cars. Could buy a car -- but I'm not out for a junker I can pay cash for, and I won't deal with hundreds of dollars a month in insurance and car payments and gas and maintenance and all that rot.

Then, a couple of Saturdays back, it hit me.

The Softail of the Loch, the Rebel of Eugene
I was sitting in the plaza at Willamette and Broadway, reading The Loch on a fine Saturday afternoon. The book's hero zipped around the Loch Ness area on a Harley Softtail. The rumble of engines kept jerking my eyes up from my book -- motorcycle after motorcycle going through the intersection, all day.

Click.

Bugger cars. but a motorcycle? Now we're on to something.

My granddad rode. My dad rides. For the past few years I've mostly gotten around on a bicycles. A motorcycle just seems the next right step.

Besides, I need something different in my life. The traveler needs to get away now and again. Weekend trips. Camping. Jaunts to the coast and the Cascades. Friends out of town not seen enough.

I'm getting a motorcycle.

A Rebel for the cause?
The current and most likely victim? A Honda Rebel. But it depends. I'm watching the Eugene Craigslist listings and the wants ads in papers from Roseburg to Portland, and we'll see what turns up.

If perchance you know of anyone trying to offload a reliable, low-maintenance motorcycle for less than $1000, please let me know by leaving a comment below.

Either way, by the end of the month, I intend to have a motorcycle.

Comments

[Leah]

you can get a motorcylce for less than $1000? blimey. too bad the damn things scare me.

[Anthony StClair]

Yup. Motorcycles don't depreciate the same as cars, but you can easily get a good bike for under a grand. If I go the brand-spankin' new route, a Rebel MSRPs around $3,100 - still quite palatable. Car-wise, I've hankered after the Toyota Matrix - but the $15G starting price, coupled with all the coin just to have the thing? Nah...

I totally understand the fear part. And you know what? That's good.

I looked at a 500cc bike the other day (about twice as big/powerful as the Rebel), and later when I was telling my Harley-lovin' dad about it, told him that it intimidated the hell out of me. He said that was good - and to stay that way. That way I won't get cocky, and won't forget to stay aware and diligent.

A little fear ain't bad - but who knows? I never would've thought I'd want one. And they used to scare me too. But I'm going for it. :-)